Judge watches videotape of ex-BP CEO's testimony

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press
| 8:04 a.m.Feb. 27, 2013

Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at the federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP's Macondo well blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
— AP

Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at the federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP's Macondo well blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
/ AP

CORRECTS DATE TO TUESDAY, FEB. 26 - Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at the federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP's Macondo well blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)— AP

+Read Caption

CORRECTS DATE TO TUESDAY, FEB. 26 - Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at the federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP's Macondo well blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
/ AP

Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, left, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at the federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP's Macondo well blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)— AP

+Read Caption

Lamar McKay, former president of BP America and current chief executive of BP's Upstream unit, left, leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. McKay, who was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, became the first BP executive to testify at the federal trial intended to identify the causes of BP's Macondo well blowout and assign percentages of blame to the companies involved. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
/ AP

NEW ORLEANS 
The judge in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill trial has watched videotaped testimony from former BP chief executive Tony Hayward.

Hayward was head of the London-based oil giant in 2010 when there was an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Eleven workers were killed and millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf.

At the height of the spill, Hayward famously said he'd like his life back.

The videotaped testimony viewed Wednesday showed a lawyer grilling Hayward about his comments involving cost-cutting at the company, but the former CEO said those measures didn't affect drilling operations.

The trial in New Orleans is designed to identify the causes of the 2010 well blowout and assign percentages of fault to the companies involved.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A ranking BP executive says the drilling rig that the company leased from Transocean Ltd. had a good safety record before a well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico triggered an explosion that killed 11 workers.

A Transocean attorney questioned Lamar McKay on Wednesday during his second day on the witness stand in a trial designed to identify the causes of the 2010 blowout and assign percentages of fault to the companies involved.

McKay was president of BP America at the time of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He said he personally did not know of any reason to be critical of Transocean or its crew members on the rig.

McKay also said BP has accepted "part of the responsibility" for causing the blowout of its Macondo well.